Sailfish Bite still "ON" in the middle Florida Keys!
Capt. Bob Brown
December 13, 2009
Marathon - Saltwater Fishing Report
In recent weeks, it has been the norm to see countless frigate birds working over top of schools of Ballyhoo as Sailfish, Dolphin (Mahi-Mahi), and even some Blackfin Tuna chase the ballyhoo into tightly packed, balled up schools. And then pushing them into the air during their high speed pursuit! As these "showering" baitfish try to elude the large preditors they attract the birds and give away the location of the Sailfish. Finding Sailfish this way has been super productive all week with some boats recording double digit releases on Sails and mixing in a nice Dolphin or Tuna here and there. Most of these fish are being found in 20-40ft of water along the reef edge. Ballyhoo is the bait of choice when chasing the showering fish as that is what they are feeding on EXCLUSIVELY! Don't bother with Pilchards, Blue Runners, Goggle Eyes, etc... which will work well when live baiting or Kite fishing. Only Ballyhoo will do the trick here. However, if you like to Kite fish with runners or slow troll Pilchards, there have been a few fish biting using that technique as well as we caught two of our Sails on the "Sundance" today using Pilchards while slow trolling. Main thing is, there are lots of Sailfish around right now!! So come on down and get 'em while they're hot!
The reef fishing along the middle Keys has been excellent this week as well with some huge Mangrove Snapper hitting the dock at the 7 Mile Marina here in Marathon. Nice Yellowtail Snapper have been biting also along with a nice Grouper now and then while anchored for Yellowtail. Some boats have been trolling for Grouper also with large plugs and scoring some nice Gag and Black Groupers. Plenty of migratory Mackerel around the reef edge right now also to keep the rods bent along with all the other resident reef dwellers.
Florida Bay action has been excellent for Mangrove Snapper, Grouper, Goliath Grouper, Sharks, Cobia, Jacks, and a variety of other critters including some huge King Mackerel once you get to the outer Gulf wrecks. Tons of Spanish Mackerel have been inhabiting the area about 10-15 miles North of Marathon over the deep grass beds. By the time you burn a block of chum, there should be plenty of Mackerel ready to chew up everything in your tackle box!
The weather and fishing have been great here in the Marathon and middle Keys area. Come down and enjoy some great fishing at reasonable prices. If you would like more info on fishing in the middle Keys, check out our web site. Good luck in all your fishing adventures!
Capt Bob
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